Mass Payment: Help topics
Overview
Mass Payment: Overview
Mass Payment lets you send up to 5000 payments in one batch.
You create a tab-delimited or CSV payment file (it can be generated from a database or a spreadsheet application like Microsoft Excel).
We quickly process your payments, making check runs a thing of the past.
There are 2 ways to send us your payment information:
- Upload a payment file You create a payment file and upload it directly to our site. We’ll scan your file and make sure it’s formatted correctly. Get started
- Submit through APIs Another option is to submit your information through PayPal APIs. You’ll find all the details in our Mass Payment Guide (PDF).
For more information, check out our FAQs.
How to upload
How to upload a payment file
What you’ll need to do
- Collect your recipient information. All you need is an email address, payment amount, and currency type.
You can also send a Mass Payment with a phone number or PayPal customer ID. (See the Mass Payment Guide (PDF) for more information).
- Check your account. Make sure you have enough money in your PayPal account to cover the total cost. You can use only money from your PayPal balance for Mass Payments.
Note: Your balance needs to be in the same currency as your Mass Payment.
- Create your payment file. We accept 2 file types: tab-delimited (.txt) or Comma Separated Value (.csv). Don’t worry, you can find all the details in how to create a payment file.
- Upload your payment file. Before you click Upload, please select how your recipients are identified within the file. Each payment file can contain only one recipient type (email address or PayPal customer ID).
- Submit your Mass Payment. After you upload your payment file, we’ll scan it for errors and let you review the fee and total cost. Then click Submit and we’ll start processing the transactions.
After you’ve submitted the payment file
We’ll process each payment in your file and email you when we’re done. Then you can log in to your PayPal account and get the details of each transaction. Just look for your Mass Payment under “My recent activity.”
What you need to know
Fee for each payment sent to a recipient
| Domestic | 2.0% of the payment but no more than $1.00 USD |
|---|---|
| International | 2.0% of the payment or a maximum amount that varies by currency |
How do my recipients get their money?
We’ll send each recipient an email. If your recipients already have a PayPal account, they can claim the payment by logging in to their account. If your recipients do not have a PayPal account, we’ll ask that they sign up for a one (it’s fast and easy).
If your recipient doesn’t accept the payment within 30 days, we’ll return it to your PayPal account.
How much money can I send?
There is no limit on the total amount of the Mass Payment. However, each individual payment can be no more than .
Can I send money in different currencies?
Yes, but you'll need to make separate payment files for each currency.
If you choose to send one currency to a number of different countries, your recipients will have the option to convert the money into their selected currency.
Which countries can receive money?
With PayPal, you can send and receive payments from countries around the globe.
Go to PayPal Worldwide for more information about where payments can be received.
How to create
How to create a payment file
- Choose how you will generate the payment file. You can use a notepad, database, or a spreadsheet application like Microsoft Excel.
- Arrange your recipient information. Let’s say you’ll be using Microsoft Excel to arrange your data. Each row in your file should contain all the data for one recipient, divided into 5 columns. From left to right, you’d enter email address, payment amount, and currency type. The first 3 columns are required; the 4th and 5th columns are optional and can be used for your internal tracking or for adding a note to the recipient.
Here’s an example of how the data could be arranged in Excel.
The email address, or customer ID for your recipient.
The amount you’ll be sending to that recipient.
The 3-letter currency abbreviation. See table below.
An optional field for unique customer IDs, identifiers, etc.
An optional field for a custom note to your recipient.
- Generate the file. To generate a Mass Payment file from Excel, save the file as Text (tab-delimited) or CSV (comma delimited). If you are using another software application, make sure the program you are using allows you to save in the tab-delimited format.
Below is an example of a Text (tab-delimited) file.
Currency
Each Mass Payment file can include only payments in one currency.
| Currency | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Australian Dollars | AUD |
| British Pounds | GBP |
| Canadian Dollars | CAD |
| Czech Koruny | CZK |
| Danish Kroner | DKK |
| Euros | EUR |
| Hong Kong Dollars | HKD |
| Hungarian Forints | HUF |
| Israeli New Shekels | ILS |
| Japanese Yen | JPY |
| Mexican Pesos | MXN |
| New Taiwan Dollars | TWD |
| New Zealand Dollars | NZD |
| Norwegian Kroner | NOK |
| Philippine Pesos | PHP |
| Polish Zlotys | PLN |
| Russian Rubles | RUB |
| Singapore Dollars | SGD |
| Swedish Kronor | SEK |
| Swiss Francs | CHF |
| Thai Baht | THB |
| U.S. Dollars | USD |
FAQs
Mass Payment: FAQs
- How do I confirm the receipt of payments?
- How do I cancel an individual payment?
- A recipient told me that payment was not received. What could be the problem?
How do I confirm the receipt of payments?
We’ll send you an email once we’ve processed your Mass Payment. You can then log in to your PayPal account and get the details of each transaction.
There are 2 ways to get the status of your payments:
Complete summary of one Mass Payment
- Log in to your PayPal account and view your recent activity.
- Click Details next to your Mass Payment.
- On the next page, you can download either a TXT or CSV file by clicking the links under Mass Payment Details. The file will include a summary of all payments, including the current status.
View individual payments by date range
- Log in to your PayPal account and select Download History under History at the top of the page.
- Select the desired date range and file type, and then select Display mass payments individually. This will show you all Mass Payments and their status. Payments denied by a recipient are not included in this report.
How do I cancel an individual payment?
You can cancel any payment with an unclaimed status. Unclaimed payments will automatically expire in 30 days, and we’ll return the money to your PayPal account.
Search by email address
- Log in to your PayPal account and select Advanced Search under History.
- Enter the email address of your recipient in the “Search For” field and select Email from the drop-down menu.
- Adjust the date range and click Submit.
- This should display your recipient's payment. Select Cancel and follow the instructions.
A recipient told me that payment was not received. What could be the problem?
Here are a few possible explanations:
Incorrect email address
Double-check your recipient’s email address. Did you enter it correctly? If the email address is incorrect, you can cancel the unclaimed payment and resend the payment.
Recipient has an unconfirmed email address
Your recipient cannot receive a payment with an unconfirmed email address. Ask your recipient to confirm the email address with PayPal. Once that’s done, the payment should appear in the recipient’s PayPal account in a few minutes.
Recipient did not receive the payment email
Sometimes PayPal emails get redirected to a user’s spam folder. If this is the case, the recipient can simply log in to PayPal to view the payment. Also, double-check the email address in your Mass Payment file. There could be a misspelling or formatting problem.